Railroad-switch.



m fi N a P0 h s m A. I ALLARDQ RAILROAD SWITCH APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2. 1915.

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RAILROAD SWITCH. APPLlCATION FILED NOV. 2. 191a.

PatentedSe'pt. 26,1916.

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ANDREW JOSEPH ALLARD, or nioHMoND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO D. R. CREECY.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 2, 1915. Serial No. 59,290.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANDREW J. ALLARD,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in railroad switches and more particularly to such as are adaptable for use for sidings, one object of the invention being to provide simple and efiicient means which will operate automatically and accurately to insure the throwing of the switch to open the main line after a train has entered a siding or after the train has passed from the siding to the main track.

With this and other'objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims. I

In the accompanyingdrawings; Figure l is a plan view showing an embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is anelevation showing the track bar; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a view on the line 66 of Fig. 1; Figs. 7 8 and 9 are sectional views showing difi'erent positions assumed by the switch stand mechanism, and Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional view on the line l010 of Fig. 7.

1 represents the main track of a railroad; 2a siding and 3, 3, the switch rails.

In constructing the switch stand mechanism I provide a base plate 4, on which a sliding frame 5 is mounted, said frame being guided in its movements by means of yokes 6, 7, 8' securedto the base plate 4;. The switch rails 3, 3 are connected by a bar 9 which projects laterally beyond the track and is provided on one side, near its free end with a fixed yoke 10. Respective ends of this yoke are perforated for the accommodation of loosely mounted sleeves 11, 12, each of which latter is provided at its inner end (within the yoke) with a head 13. The enlarged end of arod M is pivotally at tached to one end of the sliding frame 5 and passes through the sleeves 11, 12. The end of the enlarged portion of the rod 14 normally bears against the sleeve 11 (or against an interposed washer 15) and the free end portion of said rod is threaded for the reception of a nut 16 which bears against one end of the sleeve 12. A spring 17 is mounted on the rod 14 and bears at its respective ends against the heads 13 of the sleeves 1112. In this manner, the sliding frame 5 of the switch stand mechanism is yleldlngly connected with the switch rails, so as to prevent danger of injury to various parts of the mechanism, should they be subjected to undue or abnormal strain.

The sliding frame 5 comprises upper and lower plates 18-19 spaced apart, and the lower plate is provided near its forward end with a rib or flange 20 to be engaged by a latch lever 21. This latch lever 21 is pivotally supported between the upright members of the yoke 7 and is notched near its forward end to form a tooth 22 to engage the flange or rib 20 and hold the sliding frame against longitudinal movement in one direction or the other. The latch lever is normally held in and returned to locking position by the action of a spring 23 which bears upwardly against its tail portion 24:, and the latter is provided on its upper edge with a tooth 25 for a purpose hereinafter explained. Bars 26 are fiXed under the top plate 18 of the sliding frame 5 and between these bars, a curved trigger 27 is pivotally supported at 28 and provided with a tail portion 29, which latter is bifurcated for the accommodation of the tail of the latch lever. A spring 30 serves to hold the trigger normally in and return it to the position shown in Fig. 7, wherein the tail of the trigger is shown in its highest position and the forward end 31 depending somewhat below the horizontal plane of the lower; faces of the bars 26.

The upper member of the guide yoke 8 is made with a standard 32 in which a hand lever 33 is pivotally mounted,said hand lever being of sufficient length to extend beyond the forward end of the switch stand structure and to be normally disposed between lugs 34 on the forward guide yoke 6, in which position, said lever will be normally held by amanua'lly operable latch 35 mounted on one of a d lugs. A

to the main track The hand lever 33isprovidedwith ahead 36 which passes through a upper plate 18, of thesliding frame 5-. The lever head 36 is made with through which a pin 39 passes, said pln being carried by'the spaced bars 26 fixed to The lever head 36 isa toe 40 to engage the' tail of the latch lever alsothe tail of the the sliding frame 5. also provided with trigger.

Normally, the switch will be set for the main track and the parts of the switch stand mechanism and their connection with the switch rails will assume the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 7. Should the manually operable lever 33 be raised, the engagement of the toe 40 with the tail of the latch lever will actuate said lever to release the sliding frame and during the further movement of the hand lever, the wall of the cam slot 38 engaging the pin 39, will cause the sliding frame to move forwardly and thus transmit motion to the switch rails to shift the same for the siding. When the hand lever is now restored to its normal position, the latch lever will assume position to lockthe sliding frame and hence the switch will be held in set position for the siding.

My improvements contemplate means which cooperate with the switch stand mechanism above described for the purpose of automatically controlling the same to eflect the shifting of the switch to the main track position after a train has entered the siding and to permit a train to run from the siding and insuring the setting of the switch for the main track after the train shall have moved onto the main track. The means whereby these results are attained will now be specifically explained.

A bell-crank lever 41 is pivotally mounted at the juncture of its two arms 4243 in a suitable fixed bracket 44. The arm 42 of the lever projects into the sliding frame and its free end portion is normally disposed between the tooth 25 on the tail of the latch lever and the end 31 of the trigger, when the switch is in its normal position, set for the main track. The arm 43 of the bell-cranklever 41 is pivotally connected with one end of a rod 45 mounted to slide through a fixed yoke bracket 46. A spring 47 encircles the rod 45 (within the yoke bracket 46) and bears at one end against a collar 48 onsaid rod, the other end of said spring having a bearing at one end of the bracket. The rod 45 is threaded, as at 49, for the reception of a nut 50 which bears against a sleeve 51 projecting from the yoke bracket 46 and through which the rod passes freely. By adjusting the nut 50 on the rod 45, the tension of the spring 47 as well as the throw of the bell crank 41 may be adjusted.

A bell-crank 52 is pivotally mounted in a fixed bracket 53 and one arm of this bellslot 37 in the H a cam slot38,

trail; s atai "managed with the rod 45.- The other arm of the bell-crank 52 is connected-by, means of a rod 54, with one arm of a bell-crank 55 and the other arm of the latter is connected with an arm 56 depending from a depressible track bar 57 near one end of the latter. The track bar 57- is located against the inner side ofone of the siding rails and may be movably connected with the same by means of bolts 58 passing through vertical slots 59 in said track bar and entering the web of the rail. The track bar57 is adapted to be depressed by the wheels of a train and is of such length that it will remain depressed until the last wheel of the train shall have passed over the same. The track bar is provided near its far end with a depending arm 60 (similar to the depending arm 56), and to said arm 60, one arm of a bell crank 61 is connected. The other arm of the bell crank 61 is connected with one arm of a bellcrank 62 (mounted in a fixed bracket 63) and to the other arm of the bell-crank 62, one end of a rod 64 is connected. The rod 64 extends to the bell-crank 52 and is pivotally connected to the same arm thereof to which the rod 45 is attached.

From the construction and arrangement of parts above described, it will be observed that the action of the spring 47 will be to hold the track bar'up in its normal position and also to press the arm 42 of the bell-crank 41 'rearwardly against the end of the trigger 27.

WVhen the hand lever 33 is operated to manually throw the switch for the siding, the latch lever will be operated to unlock the sliding frame and the trigger will be raised, as previously explained, and as the sliding frame 5 is moved forwardly (by the operation of the hand lever), the arm 42 of bell-crank 41 will become disposed under the curved trigger. Now, when the train enters the siding and its wheels depress the track bar 57, motion will be imparted to the bell-crank 41 (against the resistance of the spring 47), so as to cause the arm 42 of said bell-crank to move forwardly. As the arm 42 thus moves forwardly, it will engage the tooth 25 on the tail of the latch lever and ride past the same thus unlocking and immediately relocking the sliding frame 5. At the same time that the arm 43 moves forwardly as above explained, it will pass the trigger 27 and become disposed in front of the end 31 thereof. The switch stand mechanism has now been so set that the switch will remain set for the siding as long as the wheels of the train are passing over the track bar. As soon as the train shall have entered the siding 'and its last wheel shall have passed over the depressible track bar,

the spring 47 wi l operate to restore the ill track bar to its normal position and at the same time move the arm 42 of the bell crank 41 rearwardly. As the arm 42 thus moves rearwardly, it will engage the tooth on the tail of the latch lever and in riding past said tooth, cause the latch lever to unlock the sliding frame and as the arm 42 continues to move rearwardly in contact with the end of the trigger, it will impart motion (through the medium of the trigger) to the sliding frame 5 and thus cause the switch rails to be shifted to operate the switch to the main track position.

It will be understood that while a train is on the siding, the switch will be set for the main track. When a train, running on the siding, approaches the switch and depresses the track bar, motion will thus be imparted from the track bar to the bell crank 41 so as to cause the arm 42 of the latter to move forwardly. Such forward movement of the arm 42 will cause it to pass over the tooth 25 on the tail of the latch lever (thus unlocking the sliding frame) and then engage the sliding frame and move it forwardly,

thereby shifting the switch to the siding The switch will remain thus shifted as long as the wheels of the train are passing over the track bar and as soon as the last wheel shall have passed said track bar, the latter will be released and the action of the spring 47 will be to move the bell-crank 41 and cause its arm 43 to unlock the sliding frame and, by engagement with the end of the trigger, to move said sliding frame rearwardly and thus shift the switch to the main track.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. The combination with a railroad track, a siding and a switch, of .a sliding frame connected with the switch, a latch for looking said sliding frame, a lever for operating said latch and for moving the sliding frame, a spring for moving said lever in one direction, a track bar adjacent to a rail of the siding, and connections between said track bar and said lever and spring.

2. The combination with a railroad track, a siding and a switch, of a sliding frame connected with said switch, a latch for looking said sliding frame, a manually operable lever for operating the latch to release said frame and to move said frame in one direction, a lever for operating the latch and moving the sliding frame in the other direction, a spring tending to move said lastmentioned lever in one direction, a track bar, and connections between said track bar and last-mentioned lever. V

3. The combination with a railroad track, a siding, and a switch, of a sliding frame connected with the switch, a latch for locking said sliding frame, manually operable means for operating said latch and sliding the frame to shift the switch to the siding, a spring actuated lever for operating said latch and moving the frame to shift the switch to the main track, a track bar near a rail of the siding and connections between said track bar and spring actuated lever, whereby the movements ofthe latter will be automatically controlled by the movements of said track bar.

4. The combination with a railroad track, a siding and a switch, of a sliding frame connected with the switch, a latch for looking said frame, said latch having a tooth, manually operable means for operating said latch and moving the sliding frame to shift the switch to the siding, a spring actuated lever adapted to cooperate with the latch tooth for operating said latch and to cooperate with the frame to shift the switch to the main track, a track bar adjacent to a 'rail of the siding for controlling the movements of said spring-actuated lever, and connections between said track bar and said spring-actuated lever.

5. The combination with a railroad track, a siding and a switch, of a sliding frame connected with the switch, a latch for said sliding frame, said latch having a tooth, a pivoted trigger carried by the sliding frame, manually operable means for operating said latch and trigger and for sliding the frame to shift the switch to the siding, a spring actuated lever cooperable with the tooth on the latch for operating the latter and c0- operable with the trigger for moving the sliding frame to shift the switch to the main track, and means controlled by a train and connected with said spring-actuated lever for controlling the operation of the latter.

6. The combination with a railroad track, a siding, and a switch, of a stationary frame, a'sliding frame movable therein, and connected with the switch, a hand lever pivoted to the fixed frame and having a cam slot and a toe, a pin carried by the sliding frame and passing through said slot, a latch lever for locking the pivoted frame, a trigger carried by the pivoted frame, said latch and trigger having tail portions to be engaged by the toe of the hand lever when the latter is operated to move the sliding frame to shift the switch to the siding, a spring-actuated lever adapted to actuate said latch and to cooperate with said trigger to move the sliding frame to shift the switch to the main 7 The combination with a railroad track,

a siding, and a switoh, of a fixed frame, a sliding frame therein connected with the switch, a latch theswitch, a rod connected With an arm'of 7 said bell-crank 1ever,' a bracket through Which the rod passes,a spring on said rod engaging the rod at one end and its other end engaging said bracket, a depressible track bar, and rod and lever connections between said depressible track bar and the 10 spring-actuated rod.

In testimony WhereoflI have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ANDREW JOSEPH ALLARD.-

Witnesses:

WM. P. REDD, C. C. SATTERFIELD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the fflommisslozier of Eatencs,

Washington, D. G. a v 

